A Bloody Savior And Meeting The Others

POV - Carmilla

I'd given up on getting any help. Lenore had been hopeful, as she always was, but it hadn't worked out no matter how nicely she wrote the letters or what incentives she and Morana offered.

Most of the pleas for help weren't even graced with a reply. The ones that did reply were just filled with jeers of contempt, or fake niceties and apologies about how they couldn't possibly spare a single troop to help us. If you read in between the lines it was easy to see their disdain for us, for what we stood for.

So, we were on our own. But that was okay. We were forced to build Styria up on our own, and we will defend it on our own.

No matter how many human armies come, no matter how many of those dog people come down out of their snowy forests--we'll defend what is ours.

Striga and I were struggling to pick up the slack our soldiers were putting out, cleaning up the messes and keeping them alive for as long as we could - but even then, keeping every single one of them out of danger was too much even for us. We were losing. We were being pushed back...which meant we were in for a siege. Furthermore, we didn't have much blood stored in the castle for a siege due to our earlier plan of trying not to do any damage to the human population surrounding the castle.

We'd be starved. No doubt forced to ration the blood between ourselves.

The very thought caused me to growl in frustration as I sliced through a horse and it's rider - though I suppose when our opponents were humans, we could just feed when we fought. Though it would no doubt be much more dangerous than sipping the blood from a cup that couldn't pierce you with a sword.

I grabbed the headless corpse of the horse and hurled it at some incoming infantry before bringing a terrified human toward me. I ripped into his neck and greedily drank his blood, the superficial wounds and fatigue I'd been building up vanishing somewhat.

Dropping my snack, I resumed my task of protecting my soldiers as they retreated.

It was around that time that I realized something was different. Like the pressure I and Striga were under was suddenly lightened a little bit.

I looked to Striga and saw her dealing with a group of wolf people - the damnable savages from up north who thought we were easy pickings - but further behind her I saw what I'd already given up on seeing: help.

It wasn't an army. It wasn't a horde of Night Creatures. It wasn't even a small group of Vampires.

It was one man.

But it was already clear he was having a palpable effect on the outcome of the fight.

He was covered in blood and he was swinging around a claymore with a solid red blade. Every single slash of his cut through a wolf person, every step of his took him further into their midst while simultaneously allowing him to avoid attacks that aimed to crush him or bisect him in half. Despite the threat of death that obviously loomed over him...he was smiling a pleasant smile. His blood red eyes somewhat narrowed in enjoyment as he carved through the rear of the wolf people army, his equally red hair flowing behind him in a messy braid while his bangs whipped around under his erratic but fluid movement.

That's when I felt something I hadn't felt in decades. Gratitude. Gratitude to this bloody savior of mine. My faith in the good of other Vampires wasn't yet destroyed, it would seem.

Striga seemed to have noticed him as well, as her tactics became somewhat more aggressive. She pushed further into the wolf people army. She'd no doubt figured that wiping out our stronger enemy would allow us more freedom in our further fighting - not that either of us were naive enough to think this army was all the wolf people had to offer. There'd be more coming.

I turned my attention back to my side of the battlefield just as I saw Striga and the mysterious Vampire meeting up in the middle of the wolf people army. As two warriors, they seemed to naturally get along and soon went about wiping out the rest of the wolf people.

The red-haired Vampire even began to defend my soldiers, keeping as many alive as possible.

There it came again: Gratitude. Heaps of it. I somewhat hated feeling like this...it made me feel like I owed someone something and the very thought left me at unease.

But nevermind that, I have my own side of the battlefield to hold. Thus, I got on with it.

. . .

"Each of you grab a human and bring them back into the castle! Grab two, if you can! They're going to be your food for the next few days!" I called out loud enough for near everyone on the battlefield to hear, grabbing a human who was frozen in shock before knocking him out.

The humans were retreating.

Striga and the mysterious Vampire man routed the wolf people. As the fight continued, the man seemed to grow stronger and stronger, his combat style evolving into something terrifying.

It was like he was getting used to it again, or learning from scratch. It was odd...but we all have our secrets. Besides, he's our savior, I can afford to keep my curiosity at bay for now.

Either way, the man was very strong. On the same level as Striga at least, and that was purely in terms of combat ability. He actually seemed a little bit stronger in terms of physical strength and speed. I could see Striga's competitive streak being roused halfway through the fight, which went to say how much the man's appearance had lightened the load of pressure on her shoulders.

Once the wolf people ran, limping away back to their woods and caves, Striga and the man could help me with the humans. At that point...it was a massacre. Without the distraction of fighting two different forces at the same time, our strength and ability were more than enough for the humans.

The soldiers, heeding my order, began grabbing the men who made up the rear of the human army, dragging them away after knocking them out.

Striga didn't put anymore effort in but the man charged back and forth, bringing back two knocked out humans at a time until a decent sized pile was made.

A quick look over the pile told me he'd only picked the best as well. People free of disease and full of vitality. Good picks. I'd have to ask him if he minded me sampling a few of them. But his own thirst seemed to be on the forefront of his mind as he put away his sword and gave his throat and jaw a squeeze, obviously feeling the uncomfortable scratch and ache of the thirst.

I walked over to him, an easy smile on across my face, "Please, feel free to have a drink if it's needed...?" I trailed off, obviously wondering about his name. I couldn't possibly refer to him as the mysterious Vampire man for the rest of time, could I?

"...Crowley," he seemed confused for a second before he smilingly replied, "Please call me Crowley," he stuck his hand out, "I saw you were having some trouble and decided to help out. I was admittedly quite thirsty as well, and you had humans abound over here," he chuckled - a husky, gorgeous sound - and I found myself somewhat enamored with him.

Behind the blood covered visage, I noticed something about him I hadn't noticed earlier.

He was utterly gorgeous. A strong jawline, sharp angular features, fierce eyes, high cheekbones and overall very noble facial features. Even covered in blood he looked like an angel come down from the heavens...the red eyes gave him a very devilish look, however.

And not only that, he was offering me a handshake. A male Vampire, offering a female Vampire a sign of respect - a greeting between equals*? My god, he's either crazy or perfect.

(*A/N - Keep in mind the time this is set. This is before canon, which puts it in the 1200-1300 area. Which means women were treated like shit at times, if not all the time. Vampire women would have it better than mortal women but when across from male Vampires, they'd get similar treatment to mortal women. So, to see someone offering her a handshake, something other male Vampires wouldn't be caught dead doing, has kinda shook Carmilla.)

I took his hand, not minding the blood and shaking it, "Crowley?" I tested the name, and it sounded...nice when I said it. "Then, allow me to extend my thanks for the help. My name is Carmilla and I'm the Queen of this region," I introduced myself as I let go of his hand, still smiling, and watched his eyes to see his reaction.

"A Queen?" he asked, a small smile working it's way across his face before it split fully, showcasing his fangs and the rest of his pearly white teeth, "I had no idea I was in such exalted company. Please don't hold my disrespect against me, your majesty," he gave a bow, though it was obviously only in good fun. He wasn't mocking me either...it was truly just some lighthearted banter. He looked up at me, his red eyes sparkling like rubies, his unusual slit pupils dilating a little as he spoke, "Though with you being such a beautiful and regal woman, I should've figured you were a Queen of something."

His compliment rippled through my undead chest more than I'd like to admit and I kept a calm façade as I lifted a hand to cover my mouth as I chuckled, "Please, you compliment me too much, Crowley. But please, feed if you have to," I gestured to the pile he'd made.

"I may be a Vampire, but I'm not a savage. I can wait for now," he laughed before looking hopefully toward me, "If it doesn't trouble you too much, may I take shelter inside your castle while I feed?"

"I would've offered even if you didn't ask. What kind of person would I be if I didn't offer such basic manners to the person who helped protect my kingdom?" I smiled, before gesturing for him to follow the army trudging back into the castle up the snowy pass that led to the entrance, "Please, allow me to accompany you...I just need to speak to one of my sisters before I do that," I was going to go straight away with him but I saw Striga staring at me, her helm held under her armpit. She was obviously on edge.

Crowley nodded with an understanding smile and began to use the snow below him to wash the blood off his face, out of his hair and the white clothes he was wearing*.

(*A/N - He's wearing the same clothes that Crowley is wearing on the cover photo for the novel.)

Walking over to Striga, she spoke up in a somewhat loud voice, obviously not caring that Crowley could no doubt hear her.

"Are you sure about this, Carmilla? Letting a stranger that strong into our castle is asking for trouble," she warned me, which I understood. Crowley was strong and most of all, he was an unknown to us. But from what I could gather, he seemed like a decent person - by male Vampire standards anyway. He was polite, courteous and he showed none of the disdain or contempt that we usually got from others.

It was entirely possible he'd helped us with ulterior motives in mind...but that was par for the course when it came to Vampires. Everyone wanted something. It was a defining factor of people in general. But whether or not he has ulterior motives doesn't change the fact that he help us.

It just means we need to be careful.

"I understand where your worries come from, Striga...but we cannot spurn a person who helped us just because of paranoia that they may hurt us. Besides, if anything happens, that's why I have you and that army currently returning to the castle, isn't it?" I tried to give Striga a reassuring look as I spoke but her frown didn't lessen as I spoke.

Striga shook her head and hoisted her sword out of the ground and leaned it against her armored shoulder, "I hope I'm wrong, sister. But until I'm proved otherwise, I want guards following him whenever he isn't with us."

I rolled my eyes at what she said but her paranoia had saved us many times before and I trusted her instincts. But I also trusted my own - and they said that Crowley wasn't out to hurt us.

With the strength he displayed while fighting the wolf people, he could've easily continued fighting Striga or me or my army. If he did have an ulterior motive, it most definitely wasn't one that involved killing or maiming us.

Still, I understood that I couldn't let my guard down too much just because a dashing Vampire had appeared and helped us.

I had to be the Queen of Styria before I could be Carmilla right now.

With that in mind, I cleared my face of expressions before nodding to Striga, "Inform the guards and have them follow him. I'll inform him now," and with that, I turned away from Striga and walked back over to Crowley who was finishing up cleaning himself.

Snow dyed red was all around him but the results were clear - he was clean and blood-free.

Before I could speak, Crowley spoke up, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but unfortunately my ears are quite sensitive," he apologized with a genuine expression, "I have no issue being followed by guards until I prove to be a trustworthy party."

I found myself once again being surprised by this man. He didn't seem offended by what Striga and I had talked about. All I saw in his eyes was understanding.

...I'd better be careful otherwise I'll try and seduce him and make myself look like some bitch in heat. But who asked him to be such a wonderful man? It had been a long time since I'd cleared up 'that' need as well, so I was nearing my limit anyway. Now this Crowley has shown up like a gift from God or something...

"I apologize about Striga. She doesn't mean anything by it - it's simply her job as the person in charge of our military and the safety of our castle," I kept a polite expression despite my internal thoughts and apologized to Crowley who waved me off with a smile.

"Don't worry about it, I understand. I'm a stranger, you don't know me--she's right to have guards follow me. It's clever," he admitted, speaking my own earlier thoughts back to me, "But if you truly want to make it up to me, how about we entered that beautiful castle of yours and have something to eat? I get quite thirsty after exercise like that," he smiled cheekily at me and I found my polite expression cracking as his infectious grin spread to my face.

I gestured to the pile, "I know you collected your own food but I can offer you some of my own personal collection, if you'd like? I can guarantee it's taste is sublime," I offered and Crowley's eyes lit up.

...It was quite cute, actually.

"If you're offering such fine blood, how could I possibly say no?" he said and moved to the side, gesturing to the castle, "Please, lead the way, Carmilla."

. . .

POV Change - Crowley (MC)

The first time meeting with Carmilla had gone...pretty well, actually. Striga had her doubts about my motives but I couldn't really blame her, nor could I blame Carmilla for acquiescing and agreeing to put guards on me.

I was indeed here with an ulterior motive after all - but it was simply to meet and get to know the people who had been characters in a show I'd enjoyed. I also wanted to align myself with them so I could use their information network to keep an eye out for any of the troublemakers I was sent to this world to deal with.

As I followed behind Carmilla, I thought about how my demeanor had changed somewhat after gaining Crowley's memories. I wouldn't say I was changing fully...but his memories were definitely having more of an effect than I first thought they were.

After all, the thought of drinking blood wasn't disgusting to me when it quite frankly should be.

I was ready to drain someone dry of their blood moments earlier and I doubt I'd feel any regret from doing so either. So, it was safe to say that I'd changed.

But I was still me. That I was sure of. I was just more Vampiric than I was before because of Crowley's memories and their influence. No doubt because of my new physiology as well.

Carmilla led me to a vast hall once we'd gotten past the entrance courtyard of the castle, and excused herself as she needed to change and to freshen up. I nodded and sat down at the long table situated in the middle of the hall.

Leaning my sword and it's sheathe against the table, I took off the cloak I had draped over my shoulders and lay it over the back of the chair.

I did the same thing with my gloves - one of which was ruined because of the spikes from my sword piercing five holes through the high-quality fabric - taking them off and laying them neatly on the table in front of me.

All before I turned my attention toward my body. My hands were calloused and bigger than before. Stronger-looking. My forearms were clearly defined with muscle as well. The same went for my biceps and triceps as their size and definition were much better than my previous life where I was actually quite active - this body was just bigger, more robust and obviously more athletic.

"Oh, I didn't know we had any guests," a soft and gentle voice spoke from the side and I turned to look at the person who spoke.

She had fiery ginger hair and blood red eyes, pale skin and she was utterly beautiful.

But she was beautiful in a different way to Carmilla who radiated sex appeal. This woman looked and felt like a princess - she looked pure and radiated an optimism that was incredibly endearing. Her eyes, though red like my own, were much softer in appearance though they still held a hidden ferocity that warned me away from thinking of her as helpless or weak.

Big doe eyes looked curiously over me, her small but full lips curving up into a welcoming smile as she walked over to me with graceful and silent steps.

She wore a veil over her face but it did nothing to hide her perfect complexion and her beauty. She walked toward me dressed in a teal dress that contrasted well with her ginger red hair and pale skin, while she also wore a fluffy fur coat that covered her shoulders and the upper half of her torso.

Standing up as to not appear rude to who I knew was one of the four Queens of Styria, I put out a hand, "Hello there, my name's Crowley. I was passing by and offered Carmilla some help in fighting off the armies attacking here."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly at what I said and I knew if I wasn't a Vampire, I'd have missed the subtle expression change.

But she kept her composure and took my hand, squeezing it gently with her soft fingers, "Then, I must thank you for your help, Crowley. As a member of the quartet that rule these lands, I'm sure I can find something that can pay you back," she said, her eyes narrowing as her gaze passed over my partially exposed and muscular chest.

Hm? Quite a feisty little wildcat, ain't ya?

"Oh please, spending time with beautiful women like you and Carmilla is more than enough of a reward for some simply fighting," I humbly said before I decided I might as well throw my lot out there if the interest was there and lifted her hand to my lips before kissing it gently, "But if you really want to pay me back, how about having a drink with me to keep my company while I wait for Carmilla?" I asked and her pupils dilated, her breath hitching in her chest a little.

She looked up at me, being considerably shorter than me - she must've been about 5'6" whilst I was easily 6'3" - before she replied with a sultry tone that belied her pure appearance.

"I'd be delighted to join you for a drink, Crowley," she said before realizing something, "You may call me Lenore. I'm one of Carmilla's sisters, the one in charge of diplomacy."

After she said this, she walked over to the side of the hall while I sat back down and poured two glasses halfway full of a red liquid I was well-aware of as soon as she cracked open the glass bottle it was inside of originally. It smelled divine. It took every bit of control I had to not rush her and steal the bottle from her so I could chug it down.

Oblivious to my dilemma, Lenore took her time walking back over to me.

But she eventually got over to me and placed one of the glasses in front of me and took a sip of her own before sitting down not too far from me, crossing one of her legs over the other as she leaned against the table and toward me, "So, Crowley, tell me about yourself."